Washington’s “waterfowl” (duck and goose) season is finally over—and not a moment too soon. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the Elmers were out in force on the last day of the season, declaring all-out war-on-all-things-avian for the last time…until the next fall.
But the war is over for now and, as if right on cue, the geese are pairing up for their breeding season. Hunting them this time of year is especially cruel, considering that geese mate for life.
Farley Mowat writes here of the wrongheadedness of hunting intelligent animals such as geese:
the dawn was pierced by the sonorous cries of seemingly endless flocks of geese that cam drifting, wraithlike, overhead. They were flying low that day. Snow Geese, startling white of breast, with jet-black wingtips, beat past while flocks of piebald wavies kept station at their flanks. An immense V of Canadas came close behind. As the rush of air through their great pinions sounded in our ears, we jumped up and fired. The sound of the shots seemed puny, and was lost at once in the immensity of wind and wings.
One goose fell, appearing gigantic in the tenuous light as it spiralled sharply down. It struck the water a hundred yards from shore and I saw that it had only been winged. It swam off into the growing storm, its neck outstreched, calling…calling…calling after the fast-disappearing flock.
Driving home to Saskatoon that night I felt a sick repugnance for what we had done…
Exposing the Big Game 
Reblogged this on bearspawprint.
Heartbreaking….
Yes
I have seen a male Canada Goose circle over his mate after being hit by a car (SE PA).
The mated pair had goslings.
Jim, we need more humans to care.
🙂
That is so tragic, so very sad…
That’s right, Claudine, and all in the name of sport.
Out there in nature minding their own business, being geese (like all the beautiful creatures), and along come the “sportsmen” to maim them and blast away their lives for jollies or some vulgar “meal.” Families torn apart, babies left without their parents; birds crippled or dying without any mercy shown to them, only total and sadistic disregard for their precious lives. Making trash of those human beings. And then they get angry at being called trash, when all they’d have to do is STOP behaving that way, stop doing those awful, degenerate things, and begin redeeming themselves.
Farley Mowat is one of the rare few who could see what hunting was doing to the victims and has since turned away from it and redeemed himself
Yes, sorry, I should have made clear about Farley Mowat, that that was directed at only those who refuse to see the truth and change. The picture of the geese and their babies made me emotional.
No need to apologize–I was just pointing out that though he changed, he was a rarity.
Farley Mowat’s account never fails to bring me to tears. Again, I simply can’t fathom human beings who don’t consider, for one instant, what they are doing when they kill and maim sentient beings … with mates, families and significant social structures. I keep hoping that our combined energies move our culture toward a rapid sea change in perspective on this.
I like to see a flash-flood of change, but we may have to settle for a trickle…
🙂
Reblogged this on Exposing the Big Game.
hunturds are cold hearted b#$#@#$s and don`t deserve any consideration for their well thought out lies of conservation.